TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Activists in Taipei organized a march in support of democracy in Hong Kong on Sunday (June 9), marking five years since massive protests rocked Hong Kong in the summer of 2019. 

Around 600 people joined the “2024 March for Democracy - Taiwan and Hong Kong Stand Together” event, which marked five-years since protests erupted in Hong Kong in opposition to the city’s 2019 Extradition Bill. The march began at Taipei's Liberty Square, and moved down Ketagalan Boulevard, before finishing at a park near Ximending, reported CNA. 

In 2019, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council proposed a bill that would have altered the extradition policy from the territory to Taiwan, China, and other countries. The city’s pro-democracy camp heavily criticized the move, which sparked mass protests in May and June throughout the city, with over a million people taking to the streets on June 9, June 12, and June 16.

Although the proposed bill was eventually withdrawn from consideration due to public pressure, the protests of 2019 marked a turning point that led to the rapid erosion of Hong Kong's civil liberties and political autonomy. Following the summer protests, Beijing and local authorities began a hefty crackdown on free speech and conducted targeted persecution of pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong.

Activists at Sunday’s march in Taipei called for Taiwan to remain vigilant to the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and to pay close attention to the situation in Hong Kong. They also called for improved measures in Taiwan to provide political asylum to refugees fleeing Hong Kong.   

The event was jointly organized by several civil society groups, which hope to raise awareness for Hong Kong's fight for democracy and to expressly reject the militaristic ambitions and imperialistic policies of China.